The reason I'm here
by Ashry 42
Summary: Reader insert. (Armin x Reader) You joined the Survey Corps thinking that you could get away from the world; that you could get away from everyone. But it turns out you have to face who you've become now even more than before.
1. Chapter 1

_**Genre:**_ _Reader insert (Armin x Reader implied)_

 _ **Title:**_ _The reason I'm here_

 _First person POV_

* * *

That's it. I'm here now. I'm officially a member of the Survey Corps. I've made it. And now I was on my very first mission. My very first outdoor expedition. The moment I've been waiting for all my life.

And yet I was just waiting. Like usual.

I could see my horse was just as bored as me. I was sitting on my saddle, holding the reigns in my hands. I could see my horse's ears were twitching. He swiped his tail back and forth in annoyance, and he would occasionally let out huffing sounds.

I thought it would be more exiting than this. But it turns out most of the time we're just waiting or doing chores. The battlefield only takes up 10% of our time. But this was one of these rare times.

We were equipped and on our horses, waiting in line for the command that will order us out of the safety of these walls and into the unknown. Even though on the exterior I looked calm and relaxed, my heartbeat was beating a little faster than usual, and my hands were getting a little sweaty. I wasn't sure if I was scared or excited, or both. Yet, I still managed to keep my composure; my face held an expression that was closer to boredom rather than anxiety.

"Are you nervous?" The guy sitting on his horse next to me asked. I turned my head and it took me a second to remember his name. Armin Arlert. I frowned slightly. Did he see through my apathetic demeanor? No, he was just making friendly conversation. Since it's my first time, he's probably just trying to make me feel at ease.

"No." I replied, keeping my frown. He might leave me alone if I look disinterested.

"It's fine if you are though." He smiled. "Deep down we're all scared, even the experts. They just try not to show it."

Oh I see. He thinks I'm just faking. He thinks I'm actually really scared but I'm just faking confidence. Well guess what pal, you got it all wrong. I'm not afraid of these Titans. I wouldn't have chosen this job if I were afraid of them.

But I decided to not say anything and keep silent. I gave him a curt nod and turned my head back to the front of the line. I noticed that Commander Erwin had climbed onto his horse. We should be leaving pretty soon.

Once the final preparations had finished he gave out the order. Instantly the commotion started. The horses were running out towards the exit, creating a cloud of dust behind them. I instantly took up the rider's crouch: I lifted myself up slightly, pushing my feet on the stirrups while leaning forward at the same time, so that my weight was on my feet, which distributed my weight evenly and put less strain on the horses back. I learned that if you just sit on the horse while it's trotting or galloping you end up bouncing up and down on the horses back, which will end up hurting the horse on the long term.

We had just exited the gate and we were now in Titan territory. I gaped as I looked ahead. This place is huge! It's too big even! The earth seems to go on endlessly. There were no barriers, no walls, just a wide stretch of land that didn't seem to end. I understood now why our team was called "Flugel der Freiheit". The Wings of Freedom. Running across this endless stretch of land really felt like I was flying! I've never felt this free in my life!

"Stay focused. We're not here as tourists. We have a mission." I heard Armin say.

I suddenly realized that I had been grinning like an idiot this whole time and quickly wiped that grin off my face and replaced it with my usual determined scowl.

The commander gave the order for us to separate into the larger formation. We were paired up in groups of 2 or 3. I was paired up with Armin. My eyes widened as I realized what this meant. They paired me up with the coward and placed me in one of the safer places of the formation. That thought made me mad. Just because I'm new doesn't mean I can't fight! I suddenly wished we would encounter a Titan so that I could prove them wrong.

As expected, for most of the way we were all alone. No Titans had approached us… yet. But then, about half way there, Armin spotted a titan coming towards us. He took out his gun and shot a red smoke round, signaling to the others our discovery.

I'll admit; the Titan was a lot bigger than I expected. It was my first time seen a real life Titan. But I was still not afraid of them. I've been training for this moment after all. And I was ready. I gripped my reins tighter and I watched the Titan getting closer. It was running quite fast but we could still outrun it if we had too.

"Remember, we're not fighting Titans unless we really have to. We're avoiding them as much as possible." Armin warned.

But I didn't want to avoid them. I was impatient to use my 3DMG and show that Titan how wrong it was to mess with us humans.

It was right behind us.

"I'm going after it." I said.

"No! What did I tell you!"

I turned to face Armin who was looking back at me darkly, clearly showing his disapproval.

The Titan was getting even closer.

"We can't let that Titan reach the center of the formation." I tried to find an excuse for my behavior. Because I knew I was in the wrong, but I really wanted to fight it and prove to them that I wasn't a dead weight.

I slowly got up so as to stand on my horse, which proved to be very difficult since he was running at high speed.

"Stop! Get back down!" Armin cried out. I quickly saw his panicked expression before unsheathing my swords and taking off towards the Titan using my 3DMG: I grabbed hold of its skin and was now flying in the air heading straight for its neck.

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I cried out. I was just a few feet away from my target. My arms up in the air, my swords gripped firmly in my fists. I flew straight towards its soft spot , and when I was close enough I slashed a deep cut in its neck and landed on its shoulders.

The Titan was now slowly falling towards the ground, and before it landed I jumped off it and looked at my kill.

"I did it!" I yelled, throwing my arms up in the air. "Did you see that Armin? I killed my first Titan!" I grinned, satisfied with my first kill, and then looked around. But Armin was nowhere to be found. And so was my horse, who had also disappeared. I was all alone with this dead Titan on this great big plateau in the middle of nowhere. I suddenly felt very vulnerable and realized how stupid I had been. How stupid it was for me to suddenly take action like that when I should have listened to the orders instead. And now I'm paying for it. Another dreadful thought crossed my mind. I'm going to die here alone. Anger started to boil up inside me and I kicked the dead Titan's head. What a stupid way to die… on your very first mission too…

I looked around not knowing where to go and what to do now. Should I walk back? But it will take me too long to reach the walls. But what else could I do? I couldn't just stand here either…

My blood was running cold and my body was paralyzed. Even if I wanted to move I couldn't. With the thought of my doom lingering in my head I was too shocked to do anything, so I just stood there.

I don't know how long I stood there for before I heard a distant sound that gave me hope. I instantly turned to the sound that I had recognized to be hooves, and I saw Armin on his horse running towards me! He was holding my horse by the reigns so it was running along side him. He came back for me! And he brought my horse with him! I let out a breath of relief and smiled.

"Climb on! You're vulnerable on the ground like that." He said once he reached me. I quickly climbed onto my horse.

"Thanks for coming back for me! I thought I was done for…" I replied.

"Don't ever do that again!" He retorted angrily, which took me by surprise. "Rules and orders are there for a reason! You can't just act on your own accord, if you do, you will put the lives of your fellow squad members in danger. Think before you act next time."

I pondered what he had said. I hadn't thought that my actions could have had consequences on the rest of the squad. But it makes sense.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." I apologized, looking down.

"Good." He said. I looked back at him and saw that he wasn't angry anymore. He hesitated a minute before adding "But I have to say… that was pretty good for a first try. You killed your first Titan. Well done."

I smiled back at him. "Thanks."

Just then I realized where we were heading to.

"Why are we going back?" I asked.

"The mission's over. There we're too many casualties so where heading back."

"Oh."

That had been my first adventure outside the walls. A few days have passed since that event. I got to know more about the people in my team.

We were having our lunch around the table. The ambiance was quite animated; everyone was talking, laughing, having a good time. I ate my lunch in silence and just decided to observe them, which was fun in its own way as they were quite entertaining to watch.

"MEAAAAAAAAAT!" Sasha exclaimed and started gobbling down her lunch.

"Slow down or you're going to choke!" Connie commented.

Sasha instantly stopped in her tracks and glared at Connie. "You don't understand! Meat is everything! Meat is life! Life is meat!" Her expression was so determined that her eyes seemed to be glaring out fire.

"Mikasa, what are you doing?" Jean asked. Mikasa was staring at her food and poking it with her fork.

"I'm waiting for Eren to start eating. I don't want to start before him." Yet even though she said that her stomach growled, clearly indicating that she was hungry, and her mouth was drooling a little bit.

But Eren was busy conversing with Armin who was excitedly talking about something he had read in one of his books.

"And apparently there are these giant blue animals that are as big as Titans that swim in these oceans! But even though they are huge their meal consists of these tiny little creatures called plankton!" Armin's eyes were sparkling as he told his story.

"That's impossible! How can you be sure about all that?" Eren countered.

"It's all written in that book! You see; that's why we need to explore the outside world! It sounds fantastic!" Armin continued.

"I swear you will be executed for this!" Levi yelled. I turned my head towards him to see what the fuss was all about. Apparently Hange had spilled her juice on the table.

"Calm down, clean freak! I just have to wipe it away and then the table will be good as new."

"You guys are all crazy." I muttered shaking my head.

"Yes we are." Sasha said, smiling. "And you, are you crazy?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"By the way, what made you want to join the Survey Corps?" Sasha asked me.

Some people had now turned their attention back to me. I stopped eating, felling self-conscious with all the people staring at me. It felt as though their curious eyes pierced deep inside my soul, which made me feel very uncomfortable.

"I have my reasons." I said and got up. I took my plate and left. I heard their comments as I walked away.

"What's wrong with her?" Connie.

"I can't tell if she just shy or if it's something else." Sasha.

"I think she just doesn't trust people easily." Armin.

I kept on walking.

A few days later it was time for us to go out again; back into Titan territory. I wasn't as exited as the first time. But I wasn't scared either. I knew what to expect now. Once again I was paired up with Armin. This time however, we encountered a Titan early on compared to the last time. But the reason for this is because there were a lot more Titans this time. So we couldn't avoid battle.

"We're going to have to fight them this time." Armin commented. I looked at him. He was looking gloomy. And I couldn't blame him; I was feeling a bit anxious myself.

There were two titans on our tails.

"You take the 10 meters, I'll take the 15 one." Armin called out and unsheathed his sword.

They're still trying to protect me even though I have proven my worth, I thought. But I didn't say anything and just nodded in response.

We slowly got up on our running horses and instantly flew towards our targets. I wanted to try another technique this time. As I was flying in the air I jerked my head down and my body followed suit making a rolling motion; I quickly started spinning in mid air. It's the technique I saw Levi use, and since it's quite effective I wanted to try it out too. If he could do it, so could I… right? WRONG! Instead of safely landing on my target I ended up smashing against it. The impact pushed all the air out of my lungs, making me unable to breath for a full second. I was feeling dizzy. I gasped for breath and before I came back to my senses I felt a hand grab me. The sudden realization of what was going on instantly clicked in my brain. Crap! No no no! NO! It can't be! This can't be happening! But it was; the Titan has taken hold of me and was slowly bringing me towards his mouth.

"(Name)!" I heard Armin's panicked voice. He had just finished killing off his Titan and was rushing towards me as fast as he could, but I knew he would be too late. The Titan will have swallowed me by the time he reached us. Is this the end? Is this really the end? Is it my time to die now? My head was now in the Titans mouth. I closed my eyes tightly shut and prepared for the impact of its teeth crunching my bones. But that impact never came. And instead its hand had released me from its grip. I was now falling in the air. Wha-? I looked up and caught a glimpse of Mikasa slicing the Titan's neck. So that's what happened, I thought. I was dazed by what has just happened and I was still falling faster and faster though the air. But before I reached the ground Armin caught me.

"(Name) are you alright?" Armin asked, looking petrified.

"Hngh" I groaned. I didn't know if I was OK or not… my head was still spinning… I was having trouble staying awake, my vision slowly went black and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up again I was lying in my bed. I sat up, trying to remember what had happened. But I didn't remember anything after that event when I had almost died. I got up out of bed and walked out of my dorm, and went out. Everyone was busy doing chores, but when they saw me they instantly gathered around me.

"Hey (Name)!" Eren called. "It's nice to see you out and about."

"How are you feeling (Name)?" Jean asked.

"Does your head still hurt?" Sasha inquired.

The others also gathered around me.

"I'm fine." I quickly answered, not feeling at ease being the center of attention all of a sudden.

"But you almost got eaten! Weren't you scared?" Connie asked.

"No." I answered, looking down.

"Now that I think of it, you weren't struggling much when the Titan got hold of you. It's as if you were ready to die…" Armin said. That made me tense up. I took a glance up at Armin. Concern was written all over his face. He was dangerously close to the truth.

I couldn't take this anymore; I had to get away from them.

"I have my reasons." I stated and briskly walked off.

But I could still hear their comments about me.

"Why is she acting like that…" Sasha.

"Something must be troubling her." Armin.

"I think I know." Mikasa. "She gave up on life."

Everyone was silent after that.

I walked straight to my room and went to sit on my bed.

Yes Mikasa. You are right. There's no reason for me to live.

Hours went by and now it was nighttime. That night everyone was gathered around a campfire. We do this from time to time… I don't know why. I guess it's a sort of bonding thing. Everyone was sitting in a circle, talking and laughing. I also sat in the circle with them but didn't talk much.

Since we used this moment to get to know each other better at some point someone ask me questions. But I don't like talking about myself. And I especially don't like it when people ask me personal questions.

"I'm different from all of you." I retorted coldly. Everyone stopped talking and turned towards me. That got their attention.

"I'm different." I repeated louder. "You guys… You think you're special, but you're are all here for your personal reasons: Eren is here to avenge his mother, Mikasa and Armin are here for Eren, Levi is here for Erwin, Jean is here for his friend, I could go on but you get the picture. You guys all pretend to be here for the greater good and for the sake of humanity, but you're only here for your own selfish reasons!" I retorted.

"I, on the other hand, am not here for a personal reason. I'm here for humanity's sake alone. That all. I'm not here because of some private matters. Because my life is meaningless." Tears started to come to my eyes. "I don't have a loved one I need to protect. I'm all alone…" The tears finally started falling down my cheeks. "So if I'm going to die anyways, I might as well die for a cause I believe in." I ended, felling miserable.

Everyone was silent for a moment. They all just silently stared at me. I realized I had said too much. Now everyone hated me… I wrapped my arms around my legs and put my head on my knees, curling myself into a ball.

But at some point Armin broke the silence. "So you're also here for a personal, selfish reason." He said.

I instantly lifted my head up and looked back at him in surprise.

"Just like all of us." He continued. "You aren't different. You're not alone. So welcome to the group" He finished with a kind smile.

His words and friendly attitude took me aback. My mouth gapped open. Did he really just-

I was clearly surprised and wasn't expecting that. The usual feeling people get when they're around me is repulsion. They don't understand me. So I closed myself to the world and decided to stay away from everyone.

But these people were different. I suddenly realized that.

That night as I went to bed I couldn't stop thinking about what Armin had said. His words… His words and friendly attitude managed to reach me and break that cold ice-cube that had been wrapped around my heart for so long…

For the first time in my life I had a reason to life. I have found my special person. I now knew what everyone else felt like. And it felt nice.

* * *

 **Bonus scene: Armin's POV**

I had gone to get some more food and came back with a basket full of it.

"Thanks Armin! Just put it right here." Eren said. I placed the basket on the table and went to help out with the cooking. I took a few potatoes and started peeling them. Once they were peeled Mikasa would take them and dice them up.

"Finally, we can eat some fresh food! I'm so sick of the canned stuff they've been feeding us with for the past few days." Sasha complained.

(Name) came bounding inside with a hug grin on her face. "Hey guys, can I help you out?" She inquired.

I looked up at her and noticed her bright smile, which made me smile too.

"No thanks, we're fine here." I replied.

"Ok! I'll go see if the others need any help then. See ya!" She said and ran out of the room.

"(Name) has changed a lot since she first arrived. She a lot more cheerful now." Mikasa stated.

"Yeah." I replied.

"It's all thanks to you."

I instantly stopped what I was doing. "Me?" I looked questioningly at her.

Mikasa smiled. Mikasa smiling was a rare sight.

"You're words got to her somehow. And ever since then she's been coming out of her shell." She said, not bothering to look at me, as she kept cutting up the vegetables.

I looked out the window, and watched how (Name) interacted with people.

"(Name)." Levi called.

(Name) quickly went to join him.

"Yes?" She asked. She was a lot more confident in her behavior; she held herself up high instead of looking down at the ground like she used to do. But the feature that changed the most was her smile: A genuine smile had replaced the usual frown that had been on her face before.

"You can help me with the cleaning. Go get the equipment and meet me upstairs."

"Yes sir!" She rushed into the shed to get the stuff.

I went back to my peeling, smiling. "I guess you're right Mikasa."

* * *

 _A/N: This is my first Attack on Titan fanfic._

 _What did you think of it? Please leave a comment._

 _PS: I know Hange's gender is not given, but I've decided that she's a girl. ^^_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Armin's POV_**

* * *

Every day and every night I go to my favorite place. A place where I can live amazing adventures, where I can discover amazing things; I place where my actions don't have any repercussions; I place where I'm free to explore without having to deal with any real danger.

This morning I was heading to this place. I walked down the hall, my footsteps echoing for each step I made until I got there. The door creaked as I slowly opened it. As I walked forward I lightly touched the shelf and my hand would graze the many books that stood there as I passed by until I had found one particular book and then I stopped to take it out. I flipped through pages until I found the last page I had read. I plopped down into the nearest chair and started reading where I had left off.

About 10 pages into the book I was interrupted.

"Found you!" (Name) called out.

I lifted my head from the book and noticed her poking her head out from behind one of the shelves. As soon as she saw that I had seen her she jumped out from her hiding spot and walked towards me with her arms behind her back.

"Hey Armin." She greeted, smiling shyly.

"Hi (Name)." I smiled back.

"Watcha reading?" She inquired and sat down cross-legged on the floor next to me, looking back at me with curious eyes.

"An adventure book." I replied and showed her the cover of the book.

"Hmmm…" She took a good long look at it before looking back at me and asking "Can you read it to me?"

It took me a second to register what she had said. I blinked twice. "You want me to read it to you?" I repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yeah."

"But why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "If you're reading it, it must be good."

My eyes widened slightly in wonder. _She seems to trust me quite a lot,_ I thought. Then I remembered a conversation I had with Mikasa.

 _It's all thanks to you._

You're words got to her somehow. And ever since then she's been coming out of her shell.

I smiled at the memory.

"Okay." I said. "Take a seat."

"Thanks, but I'm fine here." She responded and lied down on her back with her hands behind her head.

I looked back at her, a bit surprised. She was staring at the ceiling, patiently waiting for me to start.

"Oh, okay then." I scooted in closer to the back of the chair and started reading the book from the beginning.

After about an hour I stopped because it was time for us to move out and join the others.

I closed the book and looked down at (Name) who had her eyes closed. "Did you like it?" I inquired.

She opened her eyes and sat up, looking back at me. "Yeah, I loved it! I imagined myself with the main characters and experiencing everything with them!"

I smiled at her answer. "Yes. Stories are there for us to take part in them." I said as I got up and put the book back in its place. Then I presented my hand to her. She took my hand and I pulled her up. "Let's go." I said. She nodded and we headed downstairs.

It was time for our chores. I went to join Eren; we would be heading out to the market to go by some food. (Name) stayed behind and helped with the preparations. She was getting along a lot better with everyone, and I think she had made some friends. Right now she was hanging out with Ymir and Krista. They seemed to be having a vivid conversation, but I was too far away to hear what they were talking about.

"Let's go Armin." Eren called, he was already walking away.

"Coming!" I ran to join him.

When we got back, everyone helped out with making lunch.

"What are you doing?!" Sasha exclaimed. "You're taking off half of the potato off! At this rate there won't be any more potato for us to eat! Gimme that." Sasha snatched the potato out from (Name)'s hands and continued peeling it in the right way.

"Wow, you suck at cooking, don't you?" Ymir commented and laughed. "You were completely massacring that potato."

(Name) blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't think cooking would be harder than killing Titans…"

"That's because with Titans it's doesn't matter how you kill them, as long as you kill them – even if it's messy - it's fine. But with cooking you have to be precise." Krista explained.

"Exactly." Ymir added.

"Here, why don't you watch me and try to copy what I do." Krista said, and (Name) nodded.

"When you peel something don't press down hard. There's no need; the skin comes off easily." Krista explained as she did it, and (Name) started copying her movements, paying close attention.

I started cutting the vegetables. Sasha was taking care of the meat. Ymir went to get water to make it boil, and Eren went to get some wood to make the fire so that we could start cooking. I don't know where Mikasa was though…

When Eren came back I asked him where she was.

"She's with Levi."

"Oh okay."

I really love these moments when we're all together and we're doing stuff together other than fighting Titans. It's a rare moment when we can relax and enjoy ourselves, which isn't something that often happens in this cruel world. I keep dreaming of the day humanity finally get's ride of the Titans and we are free to explore the outside world; a world that is apparently filled with extraordinary things! But right now it's just a dream. And it doesn't seem like it's going to become a reality anytime soon.

When we were finished with everything we could finally go and have lunch.

I went to join Eren and Mikasa, greeting them as I sat down with my plate, and they greeted me back.

"So why did Levi call you?" Eren asked Mikasa with his mouthful.

"Close your mouth when you eat Eren" Mikasa commented in her usual quite voice. "He wanted to discuss a few fighting techniques with me." She answered.

"What?" Eren interjected, still with his mouthful. "Why were you doing that? You guys are the best."

"Just because we're the best doesn't mean we don't try to improve our techniques. We're always improving. You don't become the best by doing nothing." Mikasa explained.

Just then a commotion started and I turned around to see what was going on. People were gathered around a table, some were cheering and some were yelling.

I turned back to Eren and Mikasa. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Dunno" Eren replied.

All three of us got up to join the circle of people. I had to stand on my tiptoes to see what was happening. At the center there was (Name) and Sasha who were sitting next to each other eating their food at a really fast pace. At an incredibly fast pace!

"An eating contest?" I wondered aloud.

Some people were cheering (Name) on, and some others were cheering Sasha on. It was hard to see who would win; they were both very quick and neither of them were slowing down yet.

"What the heck are they doing?" Eren laughed.

"How immature." Mikasa whispered.

"That actually looks like fun." Eren added. "I'd like to try it!"

"Oh. Well if Eren wants to do it then I'll do it too." Mikasa said.

I noticed that (Name) was starting to slow down now.

"I made it!" (Name) yelled, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Nope. You're not done." Jean said, bringing another plate to the table. "There's this to eat too." He smirked as he placed the dish on the table.

"Whaaaaaaat" (Name) dropped her arms and made a face.

"I'm ready when you are." Sasha grinned and stared at (Name) to see her reaction.

"Oh God…" (Name) brought her hands to her mouth. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"So you're not going to eat?" Sasha questioned.

(Name) shook her head, her hands still on her mouth. "No. I can't. You win Sasha."

"Yay!" Sasha exclaimed.

"I kinda knew she would win." Ymir commented.

"Are you still going to eat that?" Jean asked.

"Yep! Don't mind if I do!" Sasha said as she started eating the dish.

(Name) stared at Sasha with big wide eyes. "Where do you put all that stuff?"

Sasha glanced at (Name) "It's a secret." She winked.

After that everyone helped clean up.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you, Sasha?" (Name) smiled.

"I don't feel too good…" Sasha complained.

"So you're human after all!" (Name) exclaimed.

Sasha glared at her. "What's that supposed to me?"

(Name) laughed. "Oh, nothing…"

I smiled interiorly. It was nice to see (Name) get along with everyone.

After that exciting day we had another exciting adventure the next day, but this day wouldn't be fun. We were called in emergency because Titans had breached the Wall. Titans were pouring in, so one group was dealing with the breach (Eren was with that group), and another group was dealing with the Titans that were already inside.

We were standing on the rooftops, spread out on the terrain in groups of 4 or 5. I was with Jean, (Name), Sasha and Ymir.

"Alright, let's go! Time to kill some Titans!" (Name) called out and was about to run off but I quickly caught her by the arm before she would leave and pulled her back.

"Wait!" I said.

She turned to look at me with curious eyes.

"We need to think of a plan first. You can't just go head first into danger without thinking about what you're going to do." I explained.

"Oh, right." She smiled in embarrassed.

"Honestly." I sighed and gave her a small smile. "You're just like Eren."

Suddenly her cheeks turned red and she immediately looked down, biting her lower lip. For a split second I wondered what made her blush like that, but I quickly pushed the thought away and focused on our mission.

"Ok, so this is what were going to do." I started to explain my plan. "We're going to regroup all the Titans that are around here and gather them at the center of the village. It will be easier to kill them that way. Someone will distract them and be used as bait to attract them to the center spot. Everyone else will be in position, ready to strike once they are regrouped."

I turned towards (Name) "(Name), I'd like you to distract them because you're the fastest out of all of us. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure" She replied. I watched her closely to see how she reacted to that, but she was hiding her emotions again, so I couldn't tell if she was scared or not.

"Right. Everyone get into position." I said. They all leaped away. It was just (Name) and me now. (Name) was about to go too, but I called her back. "(Name)…"

She turned towards me. "Yes?"

"... Be careful." I didn't know what else to say.

She came to stand right in front of me.

"Don't worry, I won't die." She said and placed her hand on my cheek. "Because I have a reason to live now."

I was taken aback by her gesture and by the way she looked at me; with an affectionate smile. I was too confused to say anything.

She retreated a few steps back and bounded away, towards the Titans.

I stood there a moment, trying to get my composure back. Then I went and got into position too.

"Come here big baby! Follow me! Come to mommy!" (Name) called out and waved her arms to the Titan that was in front of her. Her hands gripping the blades just in case she needed to use them. Once the Titan was focused on her it slowly started walking towards her. She immediately flew across the streets using her 3DMG.

"That's it! Good job! Keep following me!" The Titan started walking faster and faster until it was finally running. And just as it was running (Name) sped up, using more gas.

A sudden though struck me and my blood ran cold. _What if she uses up all her gas before we manage to regroup all the Titans?!_ I didn't come up with a plan B because I didn't think we needed too. But now I realized the mistake I had made. And it might cost her life!

I sprang forward and flew across the deserted landscape. "Sasha!" I called out and landed next to her. She looked back at me questioningly.

"If (Name) runs out of gas I want you to take over; you're the second fastest in the group."

She gave me a curt nod as an answer.

(Name) had almost regrouped all the Titans like we planed. It was almost time for us to take action.

But then, as expected, (Name) ran out of gas and fell to the ground. Immediately Sasha took over. And then it was our turn to move. We all simultaneously sprang forward, each taking on a Titan. I slashed the 13-meter Titan that was in front of me and safely landed on the rooftop. I ran across the roofs and stopped when I had found (Name). She was climbing onto a trashcan and then grabbed the nooks of the walls of the house, trying to climb up. I bent down and gave her my hand. "Grab on!"

She grabbed my hand and I pulled her up with some difficulty. Instantly, she fell on top of me. Our faces were so close that our nose touched. This proximity made my heart beat faster, and I could feel my cheeks heating up. I could see that her cheeks also turned pink. But then she quickly got off and apologized in a fluster, looking away, and I replied that it was fine.

We got up and went to rejoin with the others.

"We did it!" Sasha exclaimed, jumping in the air.

"Yeah." I commented. "But now we need to head towards the Wall and meet with the others."

"Right!" Everyone took off one by one towards the Wall. It was just (Name) and me again.

"(Name). Take these." I started to unhook my gas-tanks. But (Name) instantly stopped me and grabbed hold of my hand.

"Armin! What do you think you're doing?" She retorted in a panicked voice.

But I snatched my hand out of her grip. "You're out of gas, I'm giving you mine."

"Are you crazy?!" She took hold of my shoulders, and half glared at me, half looked scared. "What about you?"

"You need them more than I. You're better at killing Titans."

She let go of me as an idea seemed to have clicked in her mind. All of a sudden she looked very determined and then grabbed hold of my shoulders again. "Don't worry, I'll protect you!" She said. I could see a fierce passion in her eyes.

I smiled back at her and handed her my gas-tanks. We swapped and suddenly she crouched down.

"(Name), what are you doing?"

"Grab on. I'll carry you on my back."

I hesitated before accepting. Then she took off in the direction of the Wall.

By the time we got there they had managed to seal the gape and get rid of the remaining Titans.

By the time we had finished dealing with the Titans it was nighttime. After this exciting day we were allowed to go back to our dorms. And I, as usual, headed to my favorite place: the Library.

I went to get the book I had started to read and sat down.

A few minutes later (Name) arrived.

"Hey…" (Name) murmured. She seemed tense and hesitant, as if she was unsure if she should be here or not.

"Hey." I replied.

"Am I – am I bothering you?" She asked.

"No, no, it's fine." I reassured.

She relaxed and walked over towards me.

"I was wondering… if you could read me the rest of the book?" She looked down at the ground as she asked that.

"Oh, uh, sure."

She looked back at me. "Great!" She said and plopped down to the ground, sitting cross-legged.

"But… wouldn't you prefer reading your own book?" I inquired.

She shook her head and then looked down. "No. I… I actually never read a book." She said in a quiet voice. "But when I was a kid my parents used to read me stories. And I loved listening to their stories."

"I see." I acknowledged.

I opened the book. "I'll start from where we left off then." And just as I said that I started reading. And (Name) lied down on the ground like she had done before, with her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I originally hadn't planed on continuing the story... yet, here is the second part! XD I'll make it into a complete story with three parts. This is part 2. Next chapter will be the final one. _


	3. Chapter 3

**First person POV**

I rested my head on my hand and twirled the pen with my other hand, flipping it between my fingers and my thumb. I was supposed to be writing something down right now. But I'd rather look out the window at the clouds that were quietly drifting away without a care in the world. _I wish I could be like those clouds…_

Suddenly a hand slammed down on my desk which startled me and made me jump back in my chair. I looked up and saw the teacher glaring at me.

"If my course doesn't interest you, you can leave. I won't tolerate lazy students!" The teacher declared.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes sir…"

He gave me a warning glance before returning to the blackboard.

I pretended to take a few notes but quickly got bored once again and started twirling my pen in my hand again. I looked at the other students; most of them were paying attention. _How could they be so absorbed by what the teacher was saying?_ But then I noticed that some others were doing other stuff, like drawing or reading which made me smirk. _You see, I'm not the only one you bore, teacher!_ I thought.

I went back to staring out the window, looking at the drifting clouds once again and imagining figures out of them.

But then I felt something bounce off my head and land on my desk. I looked down: it was a little crumpled ball of paper. I opened it. Something was written on it. It read: _'_ _Pay attention or you're going to get caught by the teacher again.'_ I looked around to see who had thrown it and noticed Armin subtly waving at me, which made my heart skip a beat. He then pointed at the teacher, clearly telling me to pay attention, and he had a little look of disapproval on his face – _his little pout is so cute!_ I thought, smiling.

I decided to write something back and threw it to him. He caught the paper and silently opened it under his desk.

 _'_ _But his class is boring…'_ I wrote.

He looked back at me and let out a quiet chuckle. That little laugh warmed my heart; I rarely saw Armin laugh so making him happy made me happy too.

He started writing something on the paper and threw it back to me. I easily caught it, and opened it.

 _'_ _That's true. I already know most of what he's teaching anyway.'_ He wrote.

I gaped at him, which made him smile. I quickly scribbled something and threw it back to him.

 _'_ _Are you kidding me?! I have no clue what he's talking about! It's all gibberish to me!'_ Is what I wrote, which made him chuckle again and he glanced back at me with a grin.

"Passing notes, are we Armin?"

We both simultaneously looked at the teacher in astonishment. He had taken a few of the notes and read them.

 _Oh no!_

"So my class is boring, eh?"

 _Oh crap!_

I looked at Armin who was frozen on the spot, staring back at the teacher in panic.

I instantly shot up from my chair, making it tumble backwards. "It's me!" I declared.

All eyes were on me now.

"I'm the one who's been passing notes. It's my fault, not Armin's!"

Armin shot me a fearful _what-the-heck-are-you-doing_ look.

"Of course it's you!" The teacher bellowed, making me cringe.

"Well then," the teacher continued in a calmer tone. "Since you find my class so boring I will allow you to leave, and go straight to the principal's office!"

 _Oh great…_

Everyone laughed.

I sighed. I picked up my chair, put it back in its place, and left the classroom.

After a long lecture from the principal I was allowed to leave his office. When I got out I found that Armin had been waiting for me on the bench. He quickly got up and came to me, looking a little nervous.

"(Name) you didn't have to do that, I should have gone to the principal's office instead of you…" He babbled.

"Oh no, it's fine, really." I waved it off. "It was my fault to begin with."

"But I was the one who started sending you notes!" He continued.

"Yeah, but it was because I wasn't paying attention in class; I started this."

He still didn't look convinced.

"Don't worry. What's done is done anyways." I smiled.

"I guess…" He looked away.

"Oh, by the way, Armin…"

"Yeah?" He perked up.

"I was wondering if you could you help me with my homework? I'm really behind because I'm having trouble with it…"

"Of course." He smiled. Then added, "That's the least I can do after getting you kicked out of class."

"Great!" I enthused. "Well, I gotta go get my stuff that I left in class." I told him as I started jogging towards the classroom. "See you later!" I called back.

"Okay!"

 _I got myself a homework-date with Armin!_ I thought as I ran down the hall. I giggled at the word. _Homework-date… That sounds paradoxical._

I went into the class, quickly gathered my stuff and left. On my way to my room I met with Ymir.

"Hey (Name)." Ymir greeted.

"Hey!" I smiled back. We walked together down the hall.

"So how are things going with Armin?" She asked.

I immediately stopped walking. "Huh?" I uttered, dumbfounded.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." She laughed.

My cheeks heated up. "But-"

"You like him." She state bluntly. "It's obvious."

My cheeks got even redder. "H-how do you know?" I stuttered.

"I told you: it's obvious; the way you look at him, and the way you act around him. It's so obvious that practically everyone knows."

"Other people know?!" I practically yelled.

"Yeah, almost everyone. Except you two. You guys are the most oblivious couple I've ever seen…" she sighed.

"So, Armin doesn't know?" I whispered.

"I don't think so." She replied, and I sighed in relief.

"Why don't we discuss this in private." She said. "Let's go to my room."

I followed her to her room. When I got there, a surprise awaited me. First of all, when we neared her room I could here lots of noise, and when we entered I realized that it was because many people were there, making loud conversation. My jaw dropped at the sight that was in front of me.

"Hand me the chips! They're mine, you thief!" Connie yelled, leaning on Sasha as he tried to retrieve his bag of chips. But Sasha shook her head and turned her back to him. "Not anymore!" She was holding them tightly against her chest.

"What? I lost? You must be kidding!" Jean exclaimed, staring at his of cards in disbelief. Then he glared at Eren and said, "You cheated Eren! I'm sure you did."

"No, I didn't! You're just a sore loser." Eren countered.

"How dare you accuse Eren of such a dishonest action!" Mikasa retorted.

"Welcome back Ymir." Krista said when we came in.

"What the heck is this?" I yelled in disbelief.

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to face me.

"Oh, hey (Name)" Eren called. "We've been waiting for you."

I looked at Ymir in irritation. "You said we would talk in private."

"We are." She said as she sat down. "Come." She looked over her shoulder towards me and tapped the floor with her hand.

"This isn't private." I retorted as I sat down next to her.

"I told you; practically everyone knows." She grinned.

"This is embarrassing…" I muttered.

"So apparently you have a thing for Armin?" Jean inquired.

I sighed and nodded.

"When did you find out you loved him?" Krista asked.

"Was it love at first sight?" Sasha asked.

I shook my head. "No. Actually at first I didn't pay attention to him. I even disliked him; I thought he was a useless coward and wondered how he had managed to get into the Survey Corps." They were staring back at me in disbelief. "But then I discovered who he truly was," I continued. "And he opened my eyes to many things that I had been ignoring because I was too stuck in my own problems. He's a very generous person who understand people and wants to help them." I explained. "And he helped me." I finished.

Everyone was silent for a minute.

"Wow." Eren commented.

"I wasn't expecting a deep philosophical explanation." Jean said.

Ymir nodded. "It's interesting, that's for sure."

"So Armin doesn't know?" Eren asked.

I shook my head.

"Are you going to tell him?" Mikasa asked.

 _Was I going to tell him? Should I? I have no idea how he'll react… What if he doesn't like me in return? What will I do then?_ All these thoughts passed through my mind.

"I'm kind of scared honestly." I answered.

"Scared of his reaction?" Krista inquired, and I nodded.

"Well then, why don't we do it indirectly?" Ymir suggested.

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"One of us can ask him how he feels about you." Ymir explained. "That way you won't have to confess, in case he rejects you."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Jean commented.

"But who should do it?" Sasha questioned.

"I think Eren or Mikasa, since they're the closest to him." Ymir said.

They looked at each other and then back at Ymir.

"Eren should do it." Mikasa said.

"What?" Eren gaped at Mikasa. "Why me?"

"I'm not good with this stuff." Mikasa stated.

Eren frowned. "And you think I am?"

"No. But you can do anything without looking suspicious." Mikasa said.

Eren was silent for a moment, looking confused, then added, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Everyone laughed.

"Just do it Eren." Jean declared.

"Fine, fine!" Eren rolled his eyes. "I'll ask him tomorrow."

"Thanks!" I said.

For the rest of the night we played a few games. Then everyone left and went to their rooms.

The next day we had gathered at Ymir's room again to discuss Armin's answer.

"So? What did he say?" I questioned, impatiently.

Everyone looked at Eren.

"Well, this is what he said…"

 _ **Flashback: Eren's point of view:**_

 _"Hey Armin." I sat down next to him. He was reading a book, and when I sat down he looked up at me._

 _"What do you think of (Name)?" I asked._

 _Armin looked a bit startled. "Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"_

 _"Just curious…"_

 _"Well… um… she's nice…"_

 _"Do you think of her as a friend or more than a friend?" I inquired._

 _"Eren. What's this really about?" Armin frowned._

 _"What if…" I continued. "She likes you. How would you feel?"_

 _Armin looked down at the table. "So she likes me, huh." His mood instantly became gloomy the moment I said that, for some reason._

 _"Yeah! Let's say she likes you and confesses her feelings to you. How would you react?"_

 _Armin fell silent for a while. Still staring down at the table. He looked troubled, and I wondered why._

 _"I wouldn't accept her feelings." He said finally, still not looking at me._

 _"Really?" I was a bit surprised. I thought he liked her too. "So, you'd… reject her?"_

 _He gave me a small nod as an answer, and for a second I thought I had imagined it._

 _"You don't like her then?"_

 _"I don't know how I feel about her Eren, and I don't want to give her any false hope." He answered._

 _"I see."_

 _ **End of flashback. Back to (Name)'s POV** **  
**_

"So that's how it is…" Ymir commented.

"We're at a stand-still then." Jean added.

"He doesn't like me." I stated matter of fact, looking down, avoiding everyone's gaze. I couldn't look at them in the eyes now.

"Don't say that! You don't know for sure. He didn't give a direct answer, so it could go both ways." Krista said.

"He was probably… just being polite." I said, and I could hear my voice quiver. "He probably… doesn't like me." I finished. "Actually, I'm pretty sure he doesn't." I quickly added.

"You don't know for sure." Sasha remarked.

"Let's just wait it out. He might change his mind." Eren suggested.

"It doesn't matter." I said. "I still love him. And I'll still protect him with my life."

"I see… You love him that much…" Mikasa murmured.

Everyone was silent after that. I guess they didn't know what else to say.

We all parted ways again.

For the next few days it felt kind of awkward being around Armin, but I didn't act any differently with him. So he didn't suspect that I knew about his answer. In fact, there was no reason for me to act differently. I had already made up my mind about how I felt.

And then one day something drastic happened. It was during another one of our expeditions outside the Walls.

"We're going back into titan territory?" I said, and Armin nodded his head. For some reason I didn't feel like going. I know I'm a Survey Corps, and it was my job, but… I felt like something ominous was going to happen.

"This time we're going all the way to the Forest of Giant Trees." Armin said.

"The Forest of Giant Trees?" I repeated.

"Oh, that's right, you haven't been there yet…" Armin brought his fingers to his chin.

"Why are we going there?" I frowned.

"I don't know." He answered. "The commander doesn't like talking about his plans; he likes to keep these things a secret."

"Oh…" I noticed Armin held a worried expression on his face and wondered why.

"You'll need to be extra careful once we get there." He explained.

"So it's that bad, huh?" I smiled, but it wasn't a genuine smile. It was the kind you use when you feel apprehension.

"Did something bad already happen there?" I inquired in a whisper.

He didn't answer and looked away, so I took that as a yes.

"Come on, we have to prepare for our trip." Armin said and started walking away. I quickly took his hand and squeezed it, and Armin looked back at me with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." I told him and smiled.

He stared back at me, and then gave me a small smile in return.

Once we had prepared everything we needed, we got up really early the next day so as to depart from here early on, since it was likely that it would take us the whole day (and maybe more?)

We were now on our horses, waiting for our instructions.

"I'm kind of anxious." I admitted, petting my horses neck; he could feel my nervousness and I was trying to comfort him.

"Try not to think about it." Armin reassured, but he looked just as gloomy.

I nodded.

Commander Erwin had mounted his horse and it was time for us to go. He gave the order and we were off on our journey.

I looked straight ahead as my horse ran, trying not to think too much about anything and keeping my mind blank.

We had an extra team with us this time, called the Support team, but they wouldn't be accompanying us all the way. _I wish they were though…_

 _No! Don't think about that!_ I thought to myself sternly. _Keep your mind blank._

I glanced at Armin. He also held a serious expression.

Just then I realized there was a Titan on our tails. _Already?_ I thought. _But we aren't even past Wall Maria…_

I wasn't the only one who had noticed the Titan; the support team was already taking care of it.

We now existed Wall Maria, leaving the support team behind, and then spread into the bigger formation. In the far off distance I could see Titans coming.

 _How come titans are already chasing us? Last time it took a while for us to encounter them. They're also more numerous now…_

"There are a lot of titans…" I commented.

"Yeah. We're going to try and avoid them as much as possible. Don't fight them." Armin said.

"I wont."

They were catching up to us pretty fast. So we accelerated. And I shot a red smoke round.

"Will we outrun them all the way to the forest?" I inquired.

"Hopefully…" was Armin's answer.

The forest was right ahead of us, but we were still very far from it.

"An Abberant!" Armin called and I whipped my head around to see. It was on all fours and running faster than the normal titans.

"We can't outrun this one!" I cried out.

"But we can't fight it either." Armin replied. "Just keep going!"

I ordered my horse to go faster, but he was already at his maximum speed. I looked behind me. _It's right on my tail! At this rate I'm going to be eaten!_ I thought in panic.

But suddenly I saw Armin take out his gun and shoot a smoke round straight into the Titan's face, temporarily blinding it, which caused it to fall back and stop running. I glanced at Armin and saw him putting his gun back.

"Th-thanks." I quavered. He gave me a nod.

We were getting closer to the forest.

"Wow! Look at those trees! They're huge!" I exclaimed.

"That's why it's called the Forest of Giant Trees." Armin smiled at my reaction.

Once we were quite close to the forest I noticed that the group was separating: the people on the exterior went around the forest and the center group went in.

 _How come we aren't going in the forest too?_ I wondered.

The titans were still right behind us.

"Get on a tree!" Armin told me and flew off his horse. I followed him and landed on the nearest tree branch. The titans were now at the bottom of the tree, clawing it, trying to climb up. And I tensed up, ready to fight it, but then I realized they couldn't climb trees and relaxed a bit.

"Our job is to not let any titans get into the forest." Armin explained.

"So we're like a human barrier?" I commented.

"Yeah."

I noticed that three were ignoring us and walking straight into the forest.

"So we have to kill those?" I said, pointing at them.

Armin's eyes widened in shock. "No... How come it's not working? They're already ignoring us and most of the troupes aren't even in the forest yet… Why…"

"Think about it later!" I said, unsheathing my swords. "Right now we have to get them." I sprang forward and flew towards the titan. I slashed a deep cut into its neck and flew straight for the other two, but when I had finished exterminating them I realized with horror that there were a lot more than just those three which were heading into the forest.

"What the-" I uttered as I landed on a thick branch.

About a few dozen more titans were running straight into the heart of the forest.

"There's too many of them!" I cried out as I sprang through the air once again, trying to kill as many titans as I could. A few other people had joined in the slaying, including Armin. I kept a close eye on him, never letting him out of my eyesight. This expedition was getting more dangerous by the second and I was really scared something might happen to him.

While Armin was slaying a titan, another one had come up behind him, but Armin hadn't noticed it, he was too busy slaying the other titan.

"Armin! Behind you!" I yelled and leaped to his rescue, but I was quite far away from him.

The titan grabbed hold of him and he let out a yelp. The titan was slowly bringing Armin to his mouth.

"Don't you dare!" I hollered in rage. Adrenaline rushed through my body; I could feel my heart beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst. Fury swept over me, and I gripped my swords so hard it was hurting my hands.

"Die!" I screamed as I slashed through the titan's neck. I slashed so hard that not only did I get its neck, but its head also went rolling down on the ground, creating a big bloody mess.

Armin was falling through the air and I swiftly dashed towards him, grabbed hold of him and sprang back up, landing on a branch. We crouched down and I took hold of his face with my hands.

"Are you OK, Armin?" I spluttered. "Armin!"

He was staring back at me blankly as he was still in shock.

But suddenly he snapped back into focus and looked back at me with eyes so wide I thought they were going to pop out of his head, and for a split second I wondered why he was looking back at me like that.

"(Name)! Watch out!" He cried.

 _Huh?_

Before I could react he instantly grabbed hold of my arm and jerked me towards him, and I collided into Armin's chest. But something else pulled me back right then, separating me from Armin.

The first thing I noticed was a stinking, heavy breathe right behind me.

 _Don't tell me!_

I turned my head around, intense fear pulsing through my body.

Dull, unemotional eyes stared right back at me. They were centimeters from my face.

"Ah-"

I realized then that its teeth had crunched down into me.

"Ah-"

The creature was grinning at me. I was paralyzed. That second where we stared into each other's eyes felt like an eternity. But suddenly the reality of what was happening hit me.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" I shrieked.

 _It got me! It crunched me! Somebody help! I'm dead!_ All those thoughts that raced though my mind… that's what I wanted to say. But instead I just let out an uncontrollable cry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" I screamed again, this time struggling; I had regained control of my movements. I tried to push myself out, and when I looked down I realized something.

 _Wait, no! No, it didn't crunch me! Not me, but my 3D Maneuver Gear! I'm still intact!_ Once that though had crossed my mind I immediately unhooked the 3DMG and prepared myself to jump onto a nearby tree branch, out of the titans monstrous mouth.

"Jump! I'll catch you!" Armin yelled, his arms outstretched and his face contorted into an expression of horror.

But just then the titan understood that I was about to get away and started shaking its head violently so that I couldn't escape. It slowly brought its hand towards its face, I think so that it could grab me and stuff me into its mouth. I had to jump now! Even though I couldn't see where I would land. It was literally now or never.

So I jumped, and I managed to jump straight towards Armin. But suddenly, while I was still in the air, the titan's giant hand swiped at me, slamming me against the tree trunk. When the titan let go, I went plummeting down to the ground. And the moment I hit the ground everything went black.

* * *

 **Armin's POV**

"Jump! I'll catch you!" I yelled, and she did so. I stretched my hands as far as I could to be ready to grab her. But suddenly without any warning the titan brought its hand up and smacked (Name) against the tree. I let out a gasp. The titan let go of her and she went falling down, but the titan's hand was still going after her to grab her.

"(NAAAAAAAAME)!" I unsheathed my sword and went after the titan before it could grab her again. I slashed a cut deep into its neck and managed to kill it with one swing of my blade since it wasn't paying much attention to me. I race down to where (Name) was lying, swiftly grabbed hold of her and sprang back up to the highest branch so as to get away from all these titans.

Once we were safe I sat down and cradled (Name) in my arms.

"Wake up (Name)." I implored.

But she wasn't moving. She wasn't reacting at all. Tears started to water my eyes.

I placed my ear on her chest to listen to her heart, and I let out a gasp. Her heart was still beating but it was very feeble; like it could stop any second!

"No…" I lifted my head and stared at (Name). "Don't go…" I whispered, my voice quivered with emotion.

Just then Mikasa arrived. She landed on the branch next to me. I stared back at her; tears were finally falling down my cheeks.

"We're retreating." She said.

"(Name)…" I whimpered.

"Is she dead? If she is we have to leave her behind; there are too many casualties, we can't take everyone back with us." She explained in a stoic voice.

"I'm not leaving (Name)!" I declared.

Mikasa frowned.

"She's not dead… just in a coma." I explained in a calmer voice.

"I see." She answered. "Let's go." She added and flew off.

I carried (Name) on my back and followed Mikasa. We flew through the trees, heading outside the forest. Once we were out, we regained our horses. I went to one of the carriages and gently placed (Name) down before fetching my horse and mounting it. We started off and ran back home on our horses. As usual everyone was in a gloomy state. We had lost more than half our members. So of course everyone was down. The sun was sinking in the sky; it was almost nighttime so it was quiet. The titans would slowly go to sleep soon.

I ran along close to the carriage that had (Name), quietly staring at her, lost in thought. _Someone who can't sacrifice anything can never change anything. That to defeat monsters you have to be willing to throw away your humanity… I had said those words… But I was wrong. It seems that we can't do it; we can't change that way – it only leads to more and more deaths... There must be other ways to change the world… and we need to find them! Yes, we don't have to make sacrifices to change the world! We can change the world another way, I'm sure of it…_

We had arrived at the gates and we were heading inside the safety of the Walls. As usual, the people greeted us with scornful remarks about how useless we were. I kept staring down, trying to ignore them, but their words hurt, no matter how much I pretend it didn't…

We dismounted our horses and brought them to the stables. Then I quickly went to join the carriage that had (Name).

"So apparently she's in a coma?" Professor Hanji asked and I nodded my head.

"Bring her to the nurse then." She ordered a few people who immediately took her body and did as they were told. I quietly trailed behind them, looking down at my feet. I heard the comments of people as we passed by them.

"So she gets treatment but not my son?!"

"Who is she? I've never even heard of her."

"Where are her parents? They should be with her."

"Don't tell me an unknown orphan girl gets attention, but someone as important and famous as my daughter doesn't?!"

 _How could they say those things!_ I thought. I gave them a stern glare, which quieted them a bit.

When we reached the nurses office they placed her on a bed and then left. The nurse quickly came and examined her.

"Will she make it?" I inquired. My heart ached.

"I don't know yet. I'll need you to leave while I inspect her. I'll call you back when you can come." The nurse replied.

I took one last glance at (Name) before leaving the room. I dragged my feet to the nearest bench and plopped down on it, and looked at my fingers.

Time dragged along; I could practically feel the seconds and minutes and hours ticking away, until the door opened, and then I sprang up. I walked up to the nurse a little hesitant.

"You can go in." She told me. "We've done all we could. Now we just have to wait."

"Okay." I nodded in acknowledgement and slowly walked in and went up to her. (Name) was lying in bed, tucked in the covers, he expression peaceful. It looked like she was just sleeping. I sat down next to her and took hold of her hand.

"(Name)…"

I sighed.

"I don't know where to start…"

I squeezed her hand a little tighter.

"I'm sorry…" I started. I took her hand with both of mine.

"I'm sorry… If it weren't for me you probably wouldn't be in this state. You saved my life. You saved my life countless times… And I – I just ignored your feelings…" I paused.

"It had to come to this for me to understand my own feelings. I was ignoring them up until now." I stopped, tears threatened to resurface.

"I didn't realize I had feelings for you… until now. I had slowly started loving you and only realized it when it was too late…" I finally started crying.

"So please wake up." I whispered. "So that I can tell you my feelings... So that we can continue having fun together, and with everyone... It wouldn't be the same without you…" I said and got up.

"I don't want it to end this way…" I added. I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

I straightened up and placed my hand on hers briefly, and told her "I'll see you soon." Then I left the room.

* * *

 **First person POV**

I slowly opened my eyes. I was feeling pretty weak so I just looked around. For a second I was confused. _I'm in a room. But it's not my room. It's the nurses room. Oh, that's right, I fell into a coma…  
_  
I sluggishly sat up.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! You're awake then!"

I looked to my right and saw who had said that.

 _Professor Hanji?_

"About time to." She was sitting back on a chair with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face.

"What? How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Almost three weeks."

"Three weeks!" I repeated, my jaw dropping.

"Well then." Hanji clapped her hands once and got up. "I'll go tell Levi of the good news." She started walking towards the door.

"Professor Hanji…" I called her back.

She stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Hm?"

"How is Armin? Is he all right?" I looked back at her with worry.

She turned around completely to face me. "You're the one who almost got killed and you're asking if Armin is alright?" She snorted.

I looked down gripping my covers tightly.

"So you heard what he said?" She asked in a quieter voice.

I instantly started blushing in embarrassment, still looking down, gripping my covers tighter.

"Judging by that look on your face I'm guessing you did." She laughed.

"Quite the confession, wouldn't you say?" She added. I didn't have to look at her to know she was smirking again.

"He's the one who set up a watch for you 24/7 until you wake up."

I instantly looked up at her in surprise, completely forgetting about my embarrassment.

 _What?_

"He gave a pretty convincing speech for it too…" She rolled her eyes.

 _He did this? For me?_ I could feel the blush coming back.

"That's why I'm here!" She retorted in annoyance, placing her hands on her hips. "I wouldn't be here otherwise; I have other stuff to do than to babysit a sleeping maiden."

 _He went to all that trouble... For me..._ I think I was probably as red as a tomato by now.

"Although, he's the one doing most of the babysitting." She added, putting a finger to her mouth.

"He stayed with me?" I inquired.

"Yeah! Many times I found him asleep on the this chair."

I slowly got out of the bed. "So where is he now?" I asked.

"Where do you think he is?" Hanji answered.

 _The library._

When she saw that I had caught up with her train of thoughts she gave me a wink and left the room.

I headed towards the library.

 _Armin. I can't wait to see you!_

But I was a bit anxious too; I had no idea how he was going to react when he sees me.

When I entered the library I expected him to be reading a book, like usual. But he wasn't. He wasn't even seated on a chair; he was on the floor, curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, near the window and staring up at the sky.

His melancholic attitude got to my heart.

I slowly walked up to him.

"Hey Armin…" I whispered.

At the sound of my voice he swung his head around and gapped at me for a full minute. Then he got up. "(Name)…" He uttered. He slowly walked towards me, still looking at me in stupefaction.

I smiled back at him.

Suddenly I was in Armin's arms. He hastily wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug, almost squeezing me.

"Oh my God." He whispered, I could feel his breath on my ear. "I thought I'd lost you… I thought I'd lost you for good!" He tightened his grip around me. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" He repeated.

I gently pushed away from his hug so that I could see his face. It was covered in tears. Tears that were still streaming down his face. I smiled and cupped his face with my hands and wiped away the tears with my thumbs.

"Don't cry. There's no need for you to apologies. It's not your fault. Nothing's your fault. Ok?" I soothed.

"But you saved my life… and because of that you ended up badly injured…"

"I told you I'd protect you and that's what I did. I knew the risks. But everything's fine now, so you don't need to feel bad, OK?"

"Okay…"

I hugged him back. "But thank you for worrying about me." I whispered. "It means a lot to me." I closed my eyes. Being in his arms like this felt so nice. It was the first time we had a proper hug. _I don't want this moment to end. I want to stay in his arms like this forever…_

"(Name)… I have something I need to tell you…" He said.

I opened my eyes and we separated from the hug.

He looked back at me seriously, but there was also a tiny blush present on his cheeks.

"I… I love you."

Then he immediately looked down and quickly added: "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I know I should have, but I wasn't sure of my feelings back then, and I – "

I cut him off as my lips landed on his. I took hold of his face and kissed him deeply.

Then I stopped and looked back at him. He was looking very flustered.

"I know." I grinned.

"Y-you knew?" He stuttered.

I nodded. "I heard what you said to me… while I was in the coma."

"You could hear me?" He asked.

"Well, I don't remember much actually: it felt more like a dream, so I wasn't sure if I had imagined it or not. But when you said you loved me just now I knew it wasn't a dream."

"Oh…"

"And, I'm pretty sure you know by now…" I continued. "I love you too."

"I know." He smiled, and this time he was the one who leaned in for the kiss, taking hold of my chin. When his lips touched mine my heart started beating faster. He wasn't a shy kisser as I expected him to be. It wasn't a gentle kiss but a strong one.

Suddenly the door bursts open and we quickly jumped away from each other. The others were by the door staring and gapping at us.

"Hey (Name)!" Eren called. "Professor Hanji told us you were up so we came looking for you!"

"You idiot!" Jean accused. "Stop acting like you're oblivious, you knew they were kissing! You were behind the door spying on them just like the rest of us."

"Why didn't you wait a little longer before opening the door Eren?" Ymir inquired. "We could have found them in an even more compromising position if you had waited a few minutes."

"Yeah, I would have liked to see how far Armin was willing to go." Jean added.

I glanced at Armin. That statement made Armin blush like crazy, which made me chuckle.

"Jean!" Armin called out indignantly, pouting and balling his hands into fists. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of animal! I – I wouldn't do anything l-like that!" His face was extremely red, it was cute to watch.

"I bet they would have done it." Sasha commented.

"SASHA!" Armin blurt out.

"No, maybe not on the day she woke up. He would have waited I think." Ymir added.

"YMIR!"

"Okay, that's enough, guys!" I declared, waving my hands in the air. "Why don't you leave us now."

"Yeah, we'll leave you two so that you can get back to it." Eren winked.

"Eren! Not you too!" Armin exclaimed.

They finally left.

Armin sighed and looked back at me with a timid smile.

I let out a chuckle, which made him laugh, and we both laughed out loud at the embarrassing situation that had just occurred.

Then, when we stopped laughing, he took my hand. "We should head downstairs too." He said and smiled.

"Yeah! Can't keep them waiting." I replied, and we walked down the hallway hand in hand.

 **[THE END]**


End file.
